Clothespin



CLOTHESPIN Filed Mdmhv 9. 1923 l noem/co1;

NNN m Patented Jan. l, 1924.,

EDWIN EARL VINING, OF UTXCA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO LOY MUGE- MORE, OF UTICA, KANSAS.

CLOTHESPIN.

Application lediMarch 9, 1923. Serial No. 623,993.

To all whoml t may concer/a.'

Be it known that l, EDWIN EARL VINING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Utica, in the county of Ness and State. of Kansas, have invented a new and useful .Clothespin, of which the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide a clothes pin which, considering its construction, can be manufactured cheaply out of wire or like material, the pin having an unusually secure hold, and being so constructed that it may be ylocked in gripping position and be unlocked from gripping position without diiiiculty.

It is within the province ot' the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement'of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the invention shown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in elevation, a pin constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is an elevation wherein the pin is viewed at right angles to the showing of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an elevation wherein the opposite side of the pin appears from that which is disclosed in Figure 1; Figure 4 is an end elevation of the pin.

The clothes pin forming the subject matter of this application comprises a U-shaped main lever 1 including side arms 2 bent upon themselves to Jform bearings 3, the side arms being continued beyond the bearings to fashion loop-shaped jaws 4 which are r bent to define internal seats 5, the jaws hav ing free ends 6 disposed inwardly ot the outer side portions of the jaws. The side arms 2 of themain lever 1 are connected by a support 8, in the form of a rod.

The clothes pin embodies a U-shaped auX- iliary lever 9 which is of less width than the main lever 1, the lever 9 embodying side arms 10 bent upon themselves to form bearings 11, the side arms being continued to 5 form loop-shaped jaws 12, the free ends 14 of which are disposed outwardly of the inner side portions 15 of the jaws. A keeper 16 is connected at its ends to the side arms of the lever 9 and is provided in its lower edge with a notch 17.

The levers 1 and 9 are crossed with respect to each other, the bearings 8 and 11 being alined tov receive a vpivot element18 constituting a Julcrum for the levers, the bearings 3 of the lever 1 being disposed outwardly of the `bearings 11 of the lever 9,

the tree ends 14 of the jaws 12 being dispose/d close to the outer side portions 7 of the jaws 4, and the Jfree ends 6l of the jaws 4 being disposed close to the inner side portions 15 of the jaws 12. The jaws 12 cooperate with the seats 5 of the jaws 4 to grip the article which is to r be held on the clothes line.

The pin includes a U-shaped latch 19 comprising a long arm 20 and a short arm 21, the arms of the latch being mounted on the support 8 which `connects theside arms 2 of the lever 1, the latch thus being mounted for swinging movement on the support 8. A helical spring 22 is located between the l'ong arm 20 and the short arm 21 of the latch 19 and surrounds a portion of the support 8. i One end 28 of the spring 22 is engaged with one arm 2 of the lever 1, and the other end 24 of the spring 22 is engaged with the long arm 2O of the latch 19, the spring 22 thus tending to swing the long arm 2O of the latch 19 into engagement withthe keeper 16 which connects the side members 10 of the auxiliary lever 9, the part 2O of the latch 19 having teeth 25 adapted to engage the keeper. The ends of a loop-shaped guard 26 are engaged with the part 20 of the latch 19, the guard 26V passing about the keeper 16. A helical spring 27 is located between one of the bearings 3 of the lever 1 and the adjacent bearing 11 of the lever 9 and is disposed about a portion of the pivot element 18, one end 28 ot the spring 27 being engaged with one side arm 10 of the lever 9, and the other end 29 of the spring being engaged with one arm 2 of the lever 1 the tendency ot the spring 27 being to swing the jaws 12 and 4 apart.

In practical operation, when the upper ends of the levers 1 and 9 are pinched together, the jaws 4 and 12 grip the garment thel teeth 25 oi the latch engaging automatically with the keeper, under the impulse oifthe spring 22. The vjaws 4; and 12, thus, are locked in engagement with the garment on the clothes line.

In order to release the pin, the latch 19 is swung upwardly at the end marked by the numeral 50 in Figure 2, the guard 26 being received in the notch 17 ot the keeper 16 and limiting the upward movement of the arm 20 of the latch and when the ,arm 20 oil the latch is raised,the teeth are disengaged from the keeper 16 whereupon the jaws et and 12k swing apart, responsive to the spring 27.

What is claimed is 1. A clothespin comprising crossed levers having cooperating jaws, a keeper carried hy one lever, a latchpivoted On the other lever and cooperating with the keeper to hold the jaws against separation, and spring means for moving the levers to separate the jaws when the latch is disengaged from the keeper.

2. A clothes pin comprising crossed levers provided with coacting jaws, a keeper carriedby one lever,l a latch pivotally mounted on the other lever and cooperating with the keeper, and a loop-shaped 'guard carried by the latch and extended about the keeper to limit the movement of the latch when the latch is swung away from the keeper.

3. A clothes pin comprising pivotally connected levers having cooperating jaws, spring means operating upon the levers to separate the jaws, a keeper carried loy one lever, a latch mounted pivotally on the other lever and coacting with the keeper to hold the against separation, spring means for maintaining the latch engaged with the keeper, and a loop-shaped guard carried by the latch and extended about the keeper to limit the movement or' the latch when the latch is swung away from the keeper.

4. A device of the class described, constructed as set 'lorth in claim 4 and further characterized loy the provision of spring means cooperating with the levers to sepa-4 rate the jaws,the latch coacting with the keeper to hold the against separation, spring means for maintaining the latch releasaloly engaged with the keeper, and a guard carried by the latch and cooperating with the keeper to limit the swinging movement of the latch when the latch is swung away from the keeper.

.In testimony that I claim the foregoing as myown, I have hereto aiiiXed by signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDVIN EARL VINING. Vitnesses CLARA VIOLA GABLER, CLYDE LEROY SoHoFF. 

